Creating Your Student's Home Away From Home
Welcome to the University of Guelph residence community! Student Housing Services would like to thank you for trusting us to provide a home away from home for your student. Our website has designed to provide you information on how you can assist your student with their transition to University. We hope you’ll be reassured when you look through our website and social media to see the supports and programs we have in place.
COVID-19 Update: We have created a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions and regular updates about how we are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic on campus and in residences.
Conversation Starters
Having open dialogue around key student issues will certainly help in the transition to University and Residence. What to ask? We have listed a few suggestions below.
Before They Move In
- What do you think the social aspect will be like?
- How do you feel about drinking? drugs?
- Can we talk about some things to think about?
- What would you do if you felt uncomfortable?
After They Move In
- How are things going? How do you like residence? Campus?
- Who have you met? Have you talked to your RA? Are you meeting new people?
- Are you enjoying your floor/suite/community? Why or why not?
- How are classes? Have you spoken with your professors?
- What are you doing outside of class? Are you interested in any activities or ways to get involved?
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How can I best support my student?
- Ask your student what they need from you.
- Your student will face successes and challenges throughout university. This is a chance for them to learn to solve problems without your help by seeking out on-campus resources, such as the RAs (Residence Assistants).
- Be willing to listen when your student wants to talk, without feeling that you need to solve everything.
- Care packages! Students get very excited when these arrive. They are a perfect way to say good luck on exams or remind them you care. Your student can tell you their address by looking on their Housing Portal. If you are sending or dropping off care packages to your Gryphons, please ensure there is no perishable or frozen food, in the event that the package cannot be delivered same day.
Q. What resources are available?
Each residence is staffed with Residence Life Staff and linked with multiple campus resources and services. Residents can call their Front Desk for on call Residence Life Staff or a Residence Life Manager. Campus Safety Office is also available for emergencies 24/7.
Q. I can't get a hold of my student, what can I do?
Are you concerned? We have a procedure in place for contacting your student to ensure their well-being or safety through their Residence Assistant or Residence Manager. To respect your student’s privacy, and uphold the University's Privacy Policy, we will ask them to reach out and contact you.
If at any time you are worried about your student’s well-being or safety, please contact us. Our staff are trained to respond to a variety of challenges and crises.
Contact us through a 24-hour Residence Desk by calling 519-824-4120:
North Residence Desk ext. 58122
South Residence Desk ext. 58123
East Residence Desk ext. 58124
Q. My student received a letter about their conduct in residence, should I be concerned?
Your student, like every other student living in residence, signed a contract and agreed to uphold the Residence Community Living Standards. When one of those standards is broken, our staff will make sure the resident is aware of the problem through an email, phone call, or letter. Our goal is to help the students learn from their mistakes, and most often the next step is a restorative strategy that helps the student acknowledge responsibility, remedy any impact caused, and repair relationships within the community.
We’d encourage you to talk with your student about the incident or behaviours that led to the letter and discuss how you can support him or her through the conduct process.
Student Privacy
We know that you care about your student and want to stay in touch with us. However, we adhere to the University of Guelph policy regarding the privacy of student information. This means that we cannot share with you any information about our residence students, including:
- the status of their residence account
- the residence application or room assignment
- address or location
- registration status
- or any other information that is not in the public realm
If you call or email us, please understand that we can only give you publicly available information (ie, general policies).
Stay in the Know
Follow us on social media to learn more about the programs, events and daily activities happening in residence.
